German Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

German chocolate cake is one of my childhood loves. My mother used to make it from a cake mix with store-bought frosting. And that was just fine with me.

Having an anti-coconut husband has limited my baking with coconuts over the last several years. In the spirit of “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” I think I enjoy all that German chocolate-y goodness even more because I don’t have it very often.

In this case, those nostalgic flavors are baked into pecan pie bars. If you’ve never made pecan pie bars, imagine those gooey filling and toasty pecans of pie fame filling a simple crust and baked in a big pan instead of a pie plate. Add to that a little cocoa in the crust, some melty chocolate on top of the crust, and stir in some coconut with the pecans. Now, we’re talking!

These are, without a doubt, the best pecan pie bars I’ve ever made. I am usually reluctant to throw out such accolades, but it is completely appropriate in this case. If you are a fan of German chocolate cake, then I think you’ll love them, too. If you don’t like coconut, you can just leave that out and add more pecans or maybe some chocolate chips.

Directions:

Arrange pecans in a single layer of a shallow baking pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Stir halfway through baking.

Line the bottom and sides of a 9″x 13″x 2″ baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on two short sides. Grease foil.

Whisk together the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and cocoa. Add the cold butter, and combine with a pastry blender* until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press the mixture into the bottom and about 3/4-inch up sides of prepared pan.**

Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over crust. Allow to cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes.

Place the eggs in a large mixing bowl, and beat lightly. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup, and melted butter. Whisk together until smooth. Stir in the coconut and pecans. Pour evenly over the partially baked crust.

Bake 28-34 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the filling has set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Then, refrigerate for an hour.

Using foil overhang, lift the bars from the pan and place on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars.

Notes:

*You can also mix crust ingredients in a food processor, but I prefer mixing this way.

**Shortbread crusts like this one can be a bit tricky. The mixture will not hold together on its own, but it should hold together when pinched. Be sure your ingredient measurements are accurate, and press the crust firmly into the bottom of the pan.

Shut the door! These look like they will quickly become an absolute favorite of mine. I love pecan pie and German chocolate cake has always been my favorite. My husband hates coconut too (who ARE these people?!) but maybe I can trick him into eating these.

Honey, If you’ve not had German Chocolate cake, you don’t know what you are missing! I suggest you try one that is in premade cake mix to start with. I make one from scratch also. It’s a LOT more time consuming though. I HATE the thought of anyone who has not had wonderful German Chocolate cake! This is something that should definitely be on your “bucket list” 🙂 My Best, Iris aka Flo

German Chocolate Cake. The mix does not do it justice…Buy a package of Baker’s (the brand)Chocolate. Oblong green package. The recipe is on the inside. They have simplified the recipe from the old days and is much easier. I have been making this same recipe for 50 years! So good.

I made these but didn’t know exactly what was meant by waiting until the filling was “set”. I left them in the oven all 34 minutes and the filling still “jiggled” a bit so I left them longer. The crust hardened. Please advise.

Esme, baking until set means that there’s not a noticeable “jiggle” when you gently shake the pan. Keep in mind that residual heat will continue baking them after they’re out of the oven. Also, if you used a dark pan, the crust can get overbaked.

Yum…combines two of my husband’s favorites AND involves several things I am allergic to, so perfect for spoiling him & getting credit for using coconut, pecans AND real butter (all of which I love, but do not love me!). Looks pretty easy, too!

I’m wondering if using the foil could be omitted? Perhaps grease the pan with some butter, coconut oil or the like? I’m just not a fan of the foil, due to the warnings of the use of aluminum & alzhiemer’s disease. 🙁

Toast all of the pecans. I just made these for Thanksgiving tomorrow and sampled the edges as I was cutting them. Delicious, although I may have slightly overbaked them. One thing that didnt turn out I think the way it was supposed to was the crust. As I used my pastry cutter to combine the butter into the dry ingredients I don’t think it got moist enough….anyone else know what I’m talking about?

I had the same problem with the crust…too dry. I would adjust the flour to butter ratio next time. I would also add a pinch of salt since using plain flour, it’s amazing what a difference just a little pinch of salt makes in a recipe. Otherwise very good.

These were amazing! I am very picky, always looking for the BEST recipe for something. I have made good pecan pies before, but these bars are so, so good that this will be my go-to recipe for pecan pie from now on. They do taste a little like a 7 layer cookie bar. The crust is really good too.

Divine, just divine. I used white whole wheat flour in the crust and only had 2 cups of pecans so I added 1 cup walnuts as well…totally yummy. I find the crust on the not too sweet dry side is the perfect compliment for the sticky sweet ooey gooey topping.

These look really good. If you liked mix German chocolate cake homemade will knock your socks off! My Mom always made it as long as I could recall and now I make it and it is SO much better than the mixes. You can find the recipe on the package of German’s Sweet Chocolate bars in the baking section. I make it in a sheet pan, cut into pieces and freeze. It is wonderful to have on hand in the freezer and tastes freshly baked. I just had to let you know because if your hubby doesn’t like cocoanut you could have it all to yourself! 🙂

These are SOOOOO good. Loved them and they were definitely a hit with my family, but the crust is really crumbly. I know it’s not supposed to be kind of like that, but it feels like the butter and the flour, cocoa, and sugar didn’t mix at all. It pressed into the pan just fine, but it literally gets everywhere. Anyone have any ideas on how to make it just a little more moist?

Erin, the crust can be a bit on the crumbly side. If it’s not holding together when you mix it, you could try adding a tablespoon of water, mixing, and then pinching the mixture to see if it holds together better. If necessary, you can repeat with a tablespoon of water at a time until it holds together better. I wouldn’t add more than 2 or 3 tablespoons of water total.

Hi, Bobbie. I have virtually no experience with converting recipes to gluten free. If you look for some information through a search engine, you’ll find lots of knowledgeable people with lots of advice like these tips from Gluten Free Goddess.

Just tried these – tasty, but what I really noticed was the lack of salt! They were just blandly sweet until I sprinkled some salt over top – that brightened it right up. Maybe I’ve gotten to used to things like salted caramels, etc. but I was surprised to see that there wasn’t any salt in the entire recipe. To each his or her own 🙂

Fern, my guess is that it’s just a take on the flavors of German Chocolate Cake. German chocolate is a version of semisweet chocolate that usually has a higher sugar content. As far as I know, there are no German chocolate chips produced, so semisweet is the closest option, especially if you can find a low cacao percentage product.

Jennifer, one of the main ingredients in German Chocolate Cake is the coconut so that plus the chocolate (even if it’s not designated German Chocolate) is reason enough to call this German Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars.

I also have an anti-coconut hubby… but he is anti-nuts-in-baked-goods too. It’s a texture thing, he likes coconut flavor, and he will eat mixed nuts in a bowl. What’s really weird is he likes the gooey part of pecan pie, just not the pecans. Anyway, do you have any suggestions on what this might taste like without coconut and pecans? I’ll bet it’s still amazing, but I get the feeling it will taste like a sugar-overload without the texture. Thanks!

I am making these right now — but am concerned. I used a food processor to mix the flour, p. sugar, cocoa and butter. It never became “course”… it is like DUST. I checked and went online, everything, they all say 3/4 C butter. That can’t possibly be right. I baked it and it is cracked and dry..like dust. Will this be ruined??? Should there be more butter to make the crust???

(I am a cook and baker, been to Prof. Culinary school, so it wasn’t the use of the processor, etc.) I am worried tho — will let you know how the rest turns out. 🙂

Hi, Terry. The crust should work as written. I’ve never had any problems with it. Did you weigh your flour? If not, maybe you had a bit too much and that prevented it from holding together. Also, I’ve not made this crust with a food processor, but I think that wouldn’t be the problem.

I am getting ready to make these for the 2nd time. They were great! I intend to again follow the recipe exactly. I admit that I was also worried about how crumbly the crust seemed when patting it into the pan, however after baking it was perfect. This is a great recipe.

I’m sorry to hear that! Bitter makes me think it was your cocoa powder. Make sure it’s fresh. If you didn’t make any substitutions or changes, I don’t know why the topping wouldn’t hold together. Maybe add just a little more corn syrup?

I would like to make these for a function on Thursday night but I want to make them on Monday before I leave to go out of town. One, will they still be good? Two, can I leave them in the fridge uncut till Thursday? Or do you have another suggestion to preserve from Monday to Thursday?

Has anyone tried NOT including the chocolate chips on top of the crust. To me, the dessert was so sweet I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I think leaving the chocolate chips off might help, but not sure how it would effect the consistency, or if they are necessary for some reason.

I made this last night, I did over bake by a few minutes, I only used one cup of chips as I used 63% dark chocolate, but I must say YOU came up with the most amazing recipe!! This will play hell for my diet, but oh so worth it!!

Patricia and Jennifer — high altitude baking. You have to be a little more careful when it comes to baking cakes (any kind — ie, regular, bundt, sponge, Angel Food, etc.). Depending on the ingredients as to what amount you change for what ingredient. You can always contact the County Extension Office. I’ve never had to make any adjustment for bars, cookies, muffins, whatever in all the years that I’ve lived in Colorado.

That’s true, Stephanie, although you might want to use unsalted pecans. Either way, the only difference in using salted butter is just the added salt. If you like a little salty with your sweet, then you should be just fine. Enjoy!

My husband is a pecan farmer in NM, and I am always looking for new ways to use pecans. My mother always made the best German choc cake and pecan pie, so this is a great mixture of the two. I’m trying these this week.

I love pecans and Pecan pie has always been calling my name but the couple of times that I tried it, it was way too sweet for me. I have a problem with foods that are too sweet. I love the look of these bars and would love to try them but I was wondering if there is any way to make them not so sweet? Can I just eliminate the corn syrup or replace it with something like cream cheese?

Hi, I’m about to try this and I live in Thailand. We have fresh coconut flakes here, do I need to dry them out first in the oven or can I just throw it? They will have a bit of moisture to them as they are shaved straight from coconut meat. Thanks.

Just made today to bring to thanksgiving dinner. My husband is not a desert guy, but he said perfect. Friends coming over tomorrow. Sure hope that these last till thanksgiving so I don’t have to make another batch. Delicious !! Really great and surprisingly not too sweet. Will definitely make again and again!!

Decided to make these tonight for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Went to the store and bought all fresh ingredients. Very disappointed. The crust was nothing close to a crust. Looked more like a powder. Thought I did something wrong so I tossed it out and started over. Next try I got the same results. Crust nothing like a crust, more like cocoa powder and yes my butter that I cut in was cold, right out of the fridge. When I came back here to see if anyone had the same problem I did, I did see where people with the same problem were told to add water to the crust mix. I wish I had known to do that before throwing out the second batch. Maybe a note at the end of the recipe would help people who are experiencing this problem.

I was afraid I would have problems with the powdery mixture that was to be the crust because of comments I had read. When I started pressing the crust into the pan it seemed to just be powder, but as I pressed harder it began to stick together. I kept pressing, hard, until it was mostly stuck together and a very solid firm layer in the bottom. It turned out perfectly and was delicious. I think the people having problems may not realize that you really need to work at pressing the chocolate crust firmly until it sticks together and is very solid before baking.

I’m not sure why some people are having issues with the crust. I made the recipe this morning exactly as written (with the exception of the coconut that I forgot to add lol) and though I had my doubts because it was very dry looking and crumbly, once it was baked it was perfect. The butter melted evenly and created a lovely crust. I made this as a test run for my Christmas baking and it is definitely a winner! Even without the coconut it is decadent and delicious! Thank you for such a great recipe!

I made these for Thanksgiving and they turned out perfect and delicious, a nice compliment to the selection of pies. Because of some comments about the crust being powdery, I paid extra attention to this step. I found that you need to patiently keep pressing the mixture firmly into the baking pan until it grabs and holds together. If you just give it a quick press, I assume it will not hold together after baking and will be powdery. I spend several minutes on this step and it turned out perfectly. Thank you so much for this recipe. We loved it!

We had our annual Women’s Tea at church which include a cookie exchange and contest. This recipe won me 1st prize and I am baking more for my girlfriend’s birthday. Thank you for such a delicious recipe,

Hi, made these. They were pretty easy to do.I did have a little trouble getting the base for the bars to actually press in and stick to the pan. Next time I will use a little additional butter or water as suggested. It did come together while it baked.
These were delicious. Even some of our family members who are not Pecan Pie fans really liked these. Will definitely make again.
Thank you so much for sharing. It is so nice to be able to have access to people like you who are so talented in the kitchen. Your talent rubs off on all who use your recipes and makes us ” talented ” to the important people in our lives. Thank you.

We’ve (my 4 year old daughter and I) made this twice now. The first time we cut the recipe in half…that was a mistake! These bars are so delicious! They’re unassumingly balanced in sweetness. So we made them again today without cutting the recipe in half and still a winner! The only difference this time is that we made them gluten free by using corn starch. And still they came out great. Just be sure to cut the flour recipe in half for the corn starch. Thank you for this recipe!

I have an old taste of Home Recipe that is a whole lot like this except it has crunchy peanut butter instead of pecans. It’s one of my fav’s. So I thought I’d give this one a whirl.
It was lovely.
I did pour the filling on it hot and bake it right away, for a little less time. I didn’t see any point in letting it cool and then making it hot again. And mine are a great texture now so it worked for me.
Also I added a pinch of salt to the filling.
I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe.

Substitute corn syrup with a home made version.
2 Cups sugar
3/4 Cup water
1/4 tsp cornstarch
pinch of salt
In a sauce pan add the sugar and cornstarch and the bit of salt stir it to combine all..
Add the water and turn on heat. Swirl pan to dissolve the sugar mixture.
Bring to a boil and bring sugar mixture to a temp of 240 degrees F. soft ball stage.

And for fans of German Chocolate Cake check out a recipe for German Chocolate Souffle Cake I first saw it done on The Chew television show by a chef Julia Baker. Best of all it is gluten free. but not guilt free! 😉
And I will be making these bars this weekend!

These sound fabulous and will definitely have a place at our Thanksgiving dinner. Have you ever tried making them ahead and freezing them? I like to get a head start on all the Thanksgiving cooking and baking.

OMG. I just made this and absolutely love it. I did add some stuff to it I add 1/4 cup of oats and 1/2 cup of slice Almonds and I broke 2 grahand crackers and add to the eggs. I love to make my own snack bars and this will be one of my favorite. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.❤

Not sure what happened but the corn syrup layer never set even after baking for an extra fifteen minutes. The whole inside of the pan was extremely soupy. Not sure what I did wrong but seeing as how there has been success and no one mentioned this problem I guess I will try again. I have never made pecan pie filling without getting it up to a boiling temperature before using. I don’t know why it didn’t set but it was hard tossing all those good ingredients in the trash. Any idea what I may have done wrong? I thought I followed the recipe exactly but a mistake must have occurred somewhere.

I’m sorry you had troubles! The filling doesn’t need to be boiled. I always make pecan pie filling in a similar way to this recipe. If you didn’t change anything about the recipe (including using low-fat or non-fat ingredients, or margarine instead of butter) and your ingredients were all fresh, you might check your oven’s temperature accuracy with an oven thermometer.

Just made these and thought I’d share a TIP FOR THE CRUST. After cutting in the butter with a pastry cutter, get your hands in the mixture and with palms together, rub the mixture hard between palms, back and forth, like you are washing your hands but with the mixture in-between. Keep going, and before you know it, it will be perfectly blended. This is called “sheeting” I believe. I read it in a pastry cookbook, under techniques to make buttery pastries. Excellent recipe!

Post navigation

Welcome to BAKEorBREAK, or BoB as we affectionately call it. I’m Jennifer and this is my journal of over a decade of adventures as an amateur baker. The recipes you'll find as you browse through the recipe index tend toward low-effort, high-reward although you'll find some special "worth the effort" treats, too. There's sure to be something delicious for everyone. Happy baking!